Yes! You can and should take magnesium and vitamin D together. In fact, the bioavailability of vitamin D largely relies on magnesium.
Also, many nutrients wouldn’t work efficiently without magnesium, further highlighting the importance of this mineral!
Magnesium plays a big role in determining how much vitamin D our bodies can produce. It has even been suggested that people with low magnesium levels are more likely to have a vitamin D insufficiency.
So, how important is this mineral for vitamin D absorption? Does it play a role in the absorption of other nutrients? This article explores all!
Firstly, a brief overview of the roles of magnesium and vitamin D!
An Introduction to Magnesium and Vitamin D
Magnesium is one of the 7 essential minerals our body needs to stay healthy and function optimally. It can benefit you in many ways, including:
- Relieving muscle spasms and tension
- Reducing fatigue
- Improving the quality of your sleep
- Helping to relax muscles after exercise
- Improving flexibility
- Repairing and replenishing skin
Magnesium also plays a key role in joint health, metabolism, and nervous system function.
Vitamin D is one of the most important nutrients for our health. It has several important functions, including:
- Improving our body’s calcium absorption
- Immune system function
- Regulating blood pressure
- Contributing to the growth and development of teeth and bones
- Helps keep muscles healthy and functioning
Vitamin D is often referred to as the “sunshine vitamin” as our body produces it naturally through sunlight exposure. While we can obtain vitamin D from food and sunlight, it is often recommended to supplement in the winter months when exposure to sunlight is limited.
So, why are these two nutrients so important as a pair?
Taking Vitamin D and Magnesium Together
Like many vitamins and minerals, it doesn’t work without first being converted into a form that the body can absorb and use. The level at which a nutrient can be absorbed is referred to as its “bioavailability”.
To put it simply, the bioavailability of vitamin D largely depends on magnesium. There are enzymes in our liver and kidneys which convert vitamin D into its active form (calcitriol), and these enzymes can’t work without sufficient amounts of magnesium.
One of the main roles of vitamin D is regulating our calcium levels. Without vitamin D being in its converted form, it fails to properly regulate calcium, which could cause issues with your bone health.
What about magnesium and other vitamins and minerals?
All vitamins and minerals work synergistically to be fully effective. In this case, magnesium not only helps vitamin D, but it also helps our body absorb and use minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, and potassium.
As for vitamin D, it won’t work efficiently in strengthening your bones unless you have adequate levels of boron, magnesium, zinc, and vitamins A and K.
This is why it’s often recommended to supplement with vitamins and minerals as one whole supplement as opposed to standalone nutrients. Let’s explore this!
How to Take Vitamin D and Magnesium
Where might we find vitamin D and magnesium? Well, you’ll find that most of your recommended intake of these nutrients will be covered by your food intake alone.
If you have a varied and balanced diet, alongside adequate sunlight exposure, you should be covered for the most part.
Some magnesium-rich foods include:
- Spinach
- Nuts
- Beans
- Wholegrains
Though, it is sometimes recommended to supplement to cover all the bases, though we will get onto this shortly.
Vitamin D isn’t as easy to obtain from diet alone. Much of your vitamin D intake would come from direct exposure to sunlight, which isn’t optimal during winter months when sunlight may be limited.
While we may get some vitamin D through foods such as oily fish, egg yolk, and fortified foods, it is often not quite enough, especially over wintertime.
This makes it much more important to supplement with vitamin D, as sunlight and food intake does not quite cover us fully.
So, how much should we be taking?
It is recommended that male adults should take a maximum of 300mg of magnesium per day, and women take 270mg per day. Though, this mainly refers to oral supplements.
Magnesium also exists as a transdermal supplement that you can apply directly to your skin, but this doesn’t count towards your intake.
Vitamin D is suggested to be taken in doses of at least 10mcg per day, especially over the autumn and winter seasons.
Though, there are some populations which should take extra care to supplement year-round, including:
- Elderly people
- Pregnant and breastfeeding women
- People who have little to no exposure to sunlight
- People who have darker skin
Vitamin D should ideally be taken in the form of D3 (cholecalciferol), as this form occurs naturally in our body in response to sunlight and is considered the preferred form of supplementation.
Though, you may also find it in the form of D2 (ergocalciferol), which our body can absorb, but it is not the preferred form.
Vitamin D and Magnesium Deficiency
Anyone who spends little time outdoors is at a significant risk of having a vitamin D insufficiency. Even SPF creams, which are highly recommended when going out in the sun, can block the rays our skin needs to produce vitamin D.
Having a vitamin D deficiency may lead to:
- Aching or weakened bones
- Weak muscles
- Symptoms of depression
- Increased risk of coughs and colds
- Gut issues
While these symptoms are fairly subtle, they can cause very harmful health issues if left unaddressed and untreated. You should check with your doctor about how to check your vitamin D levels.
Magnesium deficiency may cause you to:
- Sleep poorly
- Feel fatigued and tired
- Experience heart palpitations
The Best Vitamin D and Magnesium Supplement
So, now that you have learnt all you need to know about vitamin D and magnesium, and how they work together, it’s time to learn about the best supplement you can take!
While you can take vitamin D and magnesium as standalone supplements, to get the best results and the best bioavailability, it’s best to take them as part of a multivitamin supplement.
Introducing Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi, an ultramodern multivitamin for overall health and peak performance.
This multivitamin contains all the essential vitamins and minerals you need, in the exact amounts you need them to work together for optimal health and wellbeing.
This includes 25mcg of vitamin D3, and 21mg of magnesium for women, and 17mg of magnesium for men.
This supplement helps restore nutrients that may be missing from your diet, thus supporting healthy cell performance across all body systems!
The Final Take-Home
Many nutrients need each other to optimally absorb and get used in the body. This includes magnesium and vitamin D.
Magnesium plays a significant role in how much vitamin D our bodies can produce, so it’s important not to overlook the importance of this key nutrient for our vitamin D levels.
It’s advised to take vitamins and minerals together for the best absorption results, such as in a multivitamin supplement like Performance Lab Multi.
